Configuration management for virtual machine environment

ABSTRACT

A computer-implemented method for controlling a connection between a virtual machine and a physical device comprises receiving a connection request for connecting the physical device to the virtual machine and determining whether the virtual machine satisfies a first connection permission condition and whether the physical device satisfies a second connection permission condition. In response to a determination that the virtual machine does not satisfy the first connection permission condition, a configuration of the virtual machine is changed to satisfy the first connection permission condition. In response to a determination that the physical device does not satisfy the second connection permission condition, a configuration of the physical device is changed to satisfy the second connection permission condition. In response to a determination that the virtual machine satisfies the first connection permission condition and that the physical device satisfies the second connection permission condition, the received connection request is accepted.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to a virtual machine infrastructure, andmore specifically, to a configuration management for a virtualenvironment.

A virtual machine is an emulation of a particular computer system. Withthe development of virtual machine technology, a virtual desktopenvironment is spreading more and more. Since a lot of virtual machinescan be centrally managed by a server, a total cost of ownership (TCO)reduction effect can be expected. Further, since data exists only on theserver, information leakage risks may be considered to be low.

A virtual desktop infrastructure (hereinafter also referred to as “VDI”)is realized by, for example, VMware® Horizon View, Citrix Xen® Desktop,and Windows® Server (“VMware” is a registered trademark of VMware Inc.in the United States, other countries, or both; “Xen” is a registeredtrademark of Citrix Systems, Inc. in the United States, other countries,or both; and “Windows” is a registered trademark of MicrosoftCorporation in the United States, other countries, or both).

SUMMARY

In one embodiment, a computer-implemented method for controlling aconnection between a virtual machine and a physical device is provided.The method comprises receiving a connection request for connecting thephysical device to the virtual machine and determining whether thevirtual machine satisfies a first connection permission condition andwhether the physical device satisfies a second connection permissioncondition. In response to a determination that the virtual machine doesnot satisfy the first connection permission condition, a configurationof the virtual machine is changed to satisfy the first connectionpermission condition. In response to a determination that the physicaldevice does not satisfy the second connection permission condition, aconfiguration of the physical device is changed to satisfy the secondconnection permission condition. In response to a determination that thevirtual machine satisfies the first connection permission condition andthat the physical device satisfies the second connection permissioncondition, the received connection request is accepted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Understanding that the drawings depict only exemplary embodiments andare not therefore to be considered limiting in scope, the exemplaryembodiments will be described with additional specificity and detailthrough the use of the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1A illustrates an example basic block diagram of one embodiment ofa physical device.

FIG. 1B illustrates an example basic block diagram of one embodiment ofa computer on which at least one virtual machine can run.

FIG. 2A illustrates one embodiment of a flowchart of a process forcontrolling a connection between a virtual machine and a physicaldevice.

FIG. 2B illustrates one embodiment of a flowchart of a process forcontrolling a connection between the virtual machine and the physicaldevice.

FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of an overall functional block diagramof a representative virtual machine and a physical device that may beused in the computer environment described in FIGS. 1A and 1B forproviding aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment of a graphical user interface(hereinafter also referred to as “GUI”) displayed on the physical devicefor connecting the physical device to the virtual machine and formaintaining or disconnecting the connection between them.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present inventionhave been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intendedto be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the describedembodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain theprinciples of the embodiments, the practical application or technicalimprovement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodimentsdisclosed herein.

To define more clearly the terms used herein, the following exemplifieddefinitions are provided, but the meaning of the terms should beinterpreted broadly as known to one of skill in the art.

The term, “virtual machine”, refers to a system virtual machine or aprocess virtual machine. In an embodiment, the virtual machine is adevice which may emulate a particular computer system. In anotherembodiment, the virtual machine may provide a virtual desktop. Thevirtual machine is used for a connection destination.

The term, “physical device” refers to a device which can be connected toa virtual machine via a communication network such as a wired orwireless channel. The physical device can display a virtual desktop byconnecting to the virtual machine with, for example, a remote desktopconnection over the communication network. The physical device is usedfor a connection request source.

The term, “configuration” refers to, for example, but is not limited to,a configuration relating to a virtual machine or a physical device; or aconfiguration associated with a virtual machine or a physical device.The configuration may comprise, for example, but is not limited to, aphysical hardware configuration, such as a name or type of a hardware tobe mounted in the physical device or to be connected to the physicaldevice; a virtual hardware configuration, such as a name or type of avirtual hardware to be mounted in the virtual machine or to be connectedto the virtual machine; a hardware setting parameter for the physicalhardware configuration or the virtual hardware configuration; a softwareconfiguration, such as a name or type of a software to be installed onthe physical device or the virtual machine; a software setting parameterfor the software; a name or type of data accessible by a virtual machineor a physical device; a security setting or security policy of a virtualmachine or a physical device; or an access control policy setting oraccess control policy of a virtual machine or a physical device. Theaccess control policy or an access control policy is a rule set todecide whether a specific operation is allowed or prohibited to aspecific resource. The software to be installed on the physical deviceor the virtual machine comprises an operating system, or a variety ofsoftware to be installed on the operating system.

The term, “a context”, refers to, for example, but is not limited to, aparameter relating to a virtual machine or a physical device; or aparameter associated with a virtual machine or a physical device. Thecontext may be variable according to, for example, a passage of time.The context may comprise, for example, but is not limited to, locationof a physical device; model information on a virtual machine or aphysical device; a current time; a predefined time, such as usage timeor connection time of a virtual machine or a physical device; anapplication which is running on a virtual machine or a physical device;data which is being accessed by a virtual machine or a physical device;an IP address of a virtual machine or a physical device; an access pointof a wireless or a wired LAN used by a physical device; an existence ornonexistence of a neighbor terminal; a progress of a process performedby a virtual machine or a physical device; user identification number,such as employee number, organization information, a managerialposition, or an authority in an organization; or a user authority of avirtual machine or a physical device.

As used herein, the expression “a/one” should be understood as “at leastone”.

FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate example basic block diagrams of a computerhardware, especially a physical device or a computer, respectively, usedin embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1A illustrates example basic block diagrams of one embodiment of aphysical device (101). The physical device (101) may be, for example,but is not limited to, a computer, such as a desktop, a laptop, or anotebook computer; a thin client; a tablet; a smart phone; a mobilephone; a game terminal; or an internet television. The physical device(101) may comprise one or more CPUs (102) and a main memory (103)connected to a bus (104). The CPU (102) may be preferably based on a32-bit or a 64-bit architecture. The CPU (102) may be, for example, butis not limited to, the Power® series of International Business MachinesCorporation; the Core I™ series, the Core 2™ series, the Atom™ series,the Xeon™ series, the Pentium® series, or the Celeron® series of IntelCorporation; the Phenom™ series, the Athlon™ series, the Turion™ series,or Sempron™ of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc; or other CPUs used for thetablet; the smart phone; the mobile phone; the game terminal; or theinternet television. (“Power” is a registered trademark of InternationalBusiness Machines Corporation in the United States, other countries, orboth; “Core i”, “Core 2”, “Atom”, and “Xeon” are trademarks, and“Pentium” and “Celeron” are registered trademarks of Intel Corporationin the United States, other countries, or both; “Phenom”, “Athlon”,“Turion”, and “Sempron” are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.in the United States, other countries, or both).

In the example shown in FIG. 1A, a display (106), such as a liquidcrystal display (LCD), is connected to the bus (104) via a displaycontroller (105). The display (106) can be used to display, formanagement of the computer, information on a computer connected to anetwork via a communication line and information on software running onthe computer using an appropriate graphics interface. In this example, adisk (108) such as a hard disk or a solid state drive, SSD, and a drive(109) such as a CD, a DVD, or a BD (Blu-ray disk) drive are alsoconnected to the bus (104) via an SATA or IDE controller (107).Furthermore, in the example shown in FIG. 1A, the physical device (101)includes a keyboard (111) and a mouse (112) connected to the bus (104)via a keyboard-mouse controller (110) or USB bus (not shown).

An operating system, programs providing Windows®, UNIX® Mac OS®, Linux®,or a Java® processing environment, Java® applications, a Java® virtualmachine (VM), and a Java® just-in-time (JIT) compiler, such as J2EE®,other programs, and any data may be stored in the disk (108) to beloadable to the main memory. (“Windows” is a registered trademark ofMicrosoft corporation in the United States, other countries, or both;“UNIX” is a registered trademark of the Open Group in the United States,other countries, or both; “Mac OS” is a registered trademark of AppleInc. in the United States, other countries, or both; “Linux” is aregistered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the United States, othercountries, or both; and “Java” and “J2EE” are registered trademarks ofOracle America, Inc. in the United States, other countries, or both).

The drive (109) may be used to install a program readable from a CD-ROM,a DVD-ROM, or a BD to the disk (108) or to load any data readable from aCD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, or a BD into the main memory (102) or the disk (108).

In some embodiments, the communication interface (114) is based on, forexample, but is not limited to, the Ethernet® protocol. Thecommunication interface (114) may be connected to the bus (104) via acommunication controller (113). The communication interface (114)physically connects the physical device (101) to a communication line(115) and provides a network interface layer to the TCP/IP communicationprotocol of a communication function of the operating system of thephysical device (101). In this case, the communication line (115) may bea wired or a wireless LAN environment based on wireless LAN connectivitystandards, for example, but is not limited to, IEEE® 802.11a/b/g/n(“IEEE” is a registered trademark of Institute of Electrical andElectronics Engineers, Inc. in the United States, other countries, orboth).

The exemplary basic block diagrams can apply also to a virtual machinemanaging server or an endpoint managing server described in thefollowing figures.

With reference now to FIG. 1B, a computer (121) may be, for example, butis not limited to, a server computer, such as a workstation, arack-mount type server, a blade type server, or a mainframe server. Thecomputer (121) can be used, for example, as a virtual machine managingserver or an endpoint managing server described in the following FIG. 3.Further, the computer (121) can be used for implementing a virtualmachine or a connection detecting module described in the following FIG.3.

The embodiment of computer (121) shown in FIG. 1B comprises a hardwareresource (131), a hypervisor (132), called a virtual machine monitor ora virtual operating system, a managing virtual machine (133), called adomain-0 or a parent partition, and one or more virtual machines 1 to n(134-1 to 134-2), called a domain-U or a child partition. Although onlytwo virtual machines are depicted in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1B, itis to be understood that one or more than two virtual machines can beincluded in other embodiments.

The hardware resource (131) may comprise one or more CPUs (141), a mainmemory (142), a disk (148) such as a hard disk or a solid state drive(SSD), a communication controller (143), and a communication interface(144). The CPU (141), the main memory (142), the disk (148), thecommunication controller (143), and the communication interface (144)may correspond to the CPU (102), the main memory (103), the disk (108),the communication controller (113), and the communication interface(114) described in FIG. 1A, respectively.

The hypervisor (132) may, for example, be a part of a computer software,firmware or hardware which may create and run one or more virtualmachines. The hypervisor may run directly on the hardware resource(131). The hypervisor (132) may manage a guest operating system (166).The hypervisor (132) may be realized by, for example, but is not limitedto, a virtual software, such as VMware®, Hyper-V®, or Xen®. (“VMware” isa registered trademark of VMware Inc. in the United States, othercountries, or both; “Hyper-V” is a registered trademark of Microsoftcorporation in the United States, other countries, or both; and “Xen” isa registered trademark of Citrix Systems, Inc. in the United States,other countries, or both).

The managing virtual machine (133) may comprise, for example, a managingoperating system (151), a control module (152), and a virtual resource(153). The control module (152) may run on the managing operating system(151) and issue a command to the hypervisor (132). The control module(152) may generate one or more virtual machines 1 to n (134-1, 134-2),where n is the total number of virtual machines. Further, the controlmodule (152) may issue a boot command for the guest operating system(166) and control an operation of the one or more virtual machines 1 ton (134-1 to 134-2). The virtual resource (153) may be a hardwareresource assigned to the managing virtual machine (133).

The computer (121) may implement at least one of the virtual machines 1to n (134-1 to 134-2). The virtual machine 1 (134-1) may comprise avirtual resource, such as but not limited to, a virtual CPU (161), avirtual memory (162), a virtual disk (163), a virtual communicationcontroller (164) and a virtual communication interface (165). Further,the virtual machine 1 (134-1) may comprise, for example, but is notlimited to, the guest operating system (166) and one or moreapplication(s) 1 to n (167-1 to 167-3), where n is the total number ofapplications. It is to be understood that the number of applications, n,need not be the same as the number of virtual machines, n. In addition,although FIG. 1B only depicts details of virtual machine 1 (134-1), forease of explanation, it is to be understood that each virtual machine(e.g. virtual machine 2 (134-2)) can include the same or similarcomponents as virtual machine 1 (134-1).

The guest operating system (166), such as Windows®, UNIX® or Linux®, mayrun on the virtual machine 1 (134-1). The same applies also to othervirtual machines, such as the virtual machine n (134-2). One or moreapplications (167-1, 167-2, and 167-3) may run on the guest operatingsystem (166). In addition, one or more functions described herein can beimplemented via one or more of the applications (167-1, 167-2, and167-3) run on the guest operating system (166). Furthermore, in someembodiments, the physical device (101) may connect to the virtualmachine implemented on the computer (121).

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate one embodiment of flowcharts of a process fordynamically controlling a connection between a virtual machine and aphysical device. FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of an overallfunctional block diagram of a representative virtual machine and aphysical device that may be used in the flowcharts described in FIGS. 2Aand 2B.

Prior to explaining the flowcharts of FIGS. 2A and 2B, the overallfunctional block diagram described in FIG. 3 will be explained first.

FIG. 3 includes a physical device (301), a virtual machine (302), avirtual machine managing server (303), a connection determining module(304), and an endpoint managing server (305), all of which are utilizedin the process described in FIGS. 2A and 2B.

The physical device (301) corresponds to, for example, the physicaldevice (101) described in FIG. 1A. The physical device (301) comprises aconnection controlling section (311), a graphical user interfacedisplaying section (312), a connection request transmitting section(313), a configuration change executing section (314), and aconfiguration/context information acquiring section (315). The physicaldevice (301) may connect to the virtual machine (302) or the virtualmachine managing server (303), or vice versa, via a communicationnetwork such as a wired or wireless channel.

The virtual machine (302) is a software implementation of a physicaldevice (not shown in FIG. 3) which corresponds to, for example, thecomputer (121) described in FIG. 1B. The virtual machine (302) comprisesa connection controlling section (321), a configuration/contextinformation acquiring section (322), and a configuration changeexecuting section (323). The virtual machine (302) may connect to thevirtual machine managing server (303) or the endpoint managing server(305), or vice versa, via a communication network such as a wired orwireless channel.

The virtual machine managing server (303) comprises a connectionmanaging section (331) and a connection request receiving section (332).The virtual machine managing server (303) may connect to the connectiondetermining module (304), or vice versa, via a communication networksuch as a wired or wireless channel.

The connection determining module (304) comprises a connectiondetermining section (341). The connection determining module (304) mayrefer to a connection permission conditions storage (381). Theconnection permission conditions storage (381) can be comprised in theconnection determining module (304) or connected to the connectiondetermining module (304) via a cable or a communication network such asa wired or wireless channel. The connection determining module (304) mayconnect to the endpoint managing server (305), or vice versa, via acommunication network such as a wired or wireless channel.

The endpoint managing server (305) comprises a configuration/contextinformation collecting section (351), a configuration/contextinformation managing section (352), and a configuration changeinstructing section (353). The endpoint managing server (305) may referto an endpoint configuration/context information storage (391). Theendpoint configuration/context information storage (391) is comprised inthe endpoint managing server (305) or connected to the endpoint managingserver (305) via a cable or a communication network such as a wired orwireless channel. The endpoint managing server (305) may connect to thephysical device (301), or vice versa, via a communication network suchas a wired or wireless channel.

At least two of any combination of the computer on which the virtualmachine (302) is created, the virtual machine managing server (303), theconnection determining module (304) and the endpoint managing server(305) may be implemented on a same server or different servers asdesired for a given implementation.

With reference now to FIG. 2A, the flowchart shows a handling of aconnection request from the physical device (301) for connecting thephysical device (301) to the virtual machine (302).

A connection permission condition for the virtual machine (302)(hereinafter also referred to as “a first connection permissioncondition”) may be provided prior to, or the start of the processdescribed in FIG. 2A by, for example, a manager or administrator of thevirtual machine (302) or may be provided by reading a default settingfor the first connection permission condition from a storage, such asthe connection permission conditions storage (381), in which the defaultsetting is stored. The first connection permission condition may bemodified after the starting of the process by, for example, manager, oradministrator of the virtual machine (302). The first connectionpermission condition may be used to decide whether or not the connectionbetween the virtual machine (302) and the physical device (301) isallowed or to decide whether or not the connection request forconnecting the physical device (301) to the virtual machine (302) isaccepted. The first connection permission condition may be set accordingto one or more conditions which are required for allowing a connectionto the virtual machine (302) or to the physical device (301) attemptingto connect to the virtual machine (302).

The first connection permission condition may define a condition whichis required for an allowance of the connection between the virtualmachine (302) and the physical device (301) or an acceptance of theconnection request from the physical device (301). In one embodiment,the first connection permission condition may define, for example, aconfiguration, a context, or a combination thereof. Definitions of boththe configuration and the context are already described above.

The manager or administrator of the virtual machine (302) may define thefirst connection permission condition, according to an intended purposeof the virtual machine (302) or the physical device (301), aconfiguration of the virtual machine (302) or the physical device (301),or data or an application stored in the virtual machine (302) or thephysical device (301). The first connection permission condition may bestored in, for example, the connection permission conditions storage(381) to which the connection determining module (304) referred.

A connection permission condition for the physical device (301)(hereinafter also referred to as “a second connection permissioncondition”) may be provided prior to, or the start of the processdescribed in FIG. 2A by, for example, a user, manager, or administratorof the physical device (301), or may be provided by reading a defaultsetting for the second connection permission condition from a storage,such as the connection permission conditions storage (381), in which thedefault setting is stored. The second connection permission conditionmay be modified after the starting of the process by, for example, auser, manager, or administrator of the physical device (301). The secondconnection permission condition may be used to decide whether or not theconnection between the virtual machine (302) and the physical device(301) is allowed or to decide whether or not a connection request forconnecting the physical device (301) to the virtual machine (302) fromthe physical device (301) is accepted. The second connection permissioncondition may be set according to one or more conditions which arerequired for allowing a connection to the virtual machine (302) or tothe physical device (301) attempting to connect the virtual machine(302).

The second connection permission condition may define a condition whichis required for an allowance of the connection between the virtualmachine (302) and the physical device (301) or an acceptance of theconnection request from the physical device (301). In one embodiment,the second connection permission condition may define, for example, aconfiguration, a context, or a combination thereof. Definitions of theconfiguration and the context are described above.

The user, manager, or administrator of the physical device (301) maydefine the second connection permission condition, according to anintended purpose of the virtual machine (302) or the physical device(301), a configuration of the virtual machine (302) or the physicaldevice (301), or data or an application stored in the virtual machine(302) or the physical device (301). The second connection permissioncondition may be stored in, for example, the connection permissionconditions storage (381) to which the connection determining module(304) referred.

At block 201, the physical device (301) starts the process of anembodiment of the method by, for example, starting up an applicationused for connecting the physical device (301) to a virtual machine(302).

At block 202, after completion of the startup of the application, thegraphical user interface displaying section (312) may show on a GUI adisplay (106) for inputting a user name and password for connecting thephysical device (301) to the virtual machine managing server (303), forexample, as a new window. In one embodiment, after the completion of thestartup of an operating system on a physical device (301), such as athin client, the physical device (301) may automatically show the GUI onthe display (106).

After the GUI is displayed on the display (106), the user of thephysical device (301) may input a user name and a password associatedwith the user name. In response to receipt of the user name and passwordfrom the user, the connection request transmitting section (313) maysend to the virtual machine managing server (303) the input username andpassword.

At block 203, in response to receipt of the input user name and passwordfrom the physical device (301), the virtual machine managing server(303) may decide whether or not the input user name and password areauthenticated by referring to a user database in which respective setsof a user name and password associated with the user name are stored. Inresponse to a decision that the input user name and password areauthenticated, namely, the input user name and password match a set of auser name and a password associated with the user name in the userdatabase, the virtual machine managing server (303) may proceed to block204. Meanwhile, in response to a decision that the input user name andpassword are not authenticated, the virtual machine managing server(303) may proceed to a block 217, and then send to the physical device(301) a notification that the input user name and password are notauthenticated. In response to receipt of the notification, the graphicaluser interface displaying section (312) may show a notification on thedisplay (106) that the input user name and password are notauthenticated.

In one embodiment, at block 204, in response to a decision that theinput user name and password match a set of a user name and a passwordassociated with the user name in the user database, the connectionrequest receiving section (332) prepares a list of virtual machine(s)which can be available from the physical device (301) and sends the listto the physical device (301). In response to receipt of the list fromthe virtual machine managing server (303), the physical device (301)retrieves information about the virtual machine(s) in the list. Thegraphical user interface displaying section (312) then shows on thedisplay (106) a GUI, for example a new window, for selecting a virtualmachine. The user of the physical device (301) may select a virtualmachine shown in the GUI and then press a connect button icon forconnecting to the virtual machine (302). In response to receipt of aninstruction generated by pressing the connect button icon by the user,the connection request transmitting section (313) may send to theconnection request receiving section (332) a connection request forconnecting the physical device (301) to the selected virtual machine(302).

In another embodiment, at block 204, in response to a decision that theinput user name and password are authenticated, the connection requestreceiving section (332) sends to the physical device (301) anotification that the input user name and password were authenticated.In response to receipt of the notification from the virtual machinemanaging server (303), the physical device (301) retrieves informationabout virtual machine(s), from, for example, a database in which virtualmachine(s) which can be available from the physical device (301) arelisted. The graphical user interface displaying section (312) shows onthe display (106) a GUI, for example a new window, for selecting avirtual machine. The user of the physical device (301) may select avirtual machine shown in the GUI and then press a connect button iconfor connecting to the virtual machine (302). In response to receipt ofan instruction generated by pressing the connect button icon by theuser, the connection request transmitting section (313) sends to theconnection request receiving section (332) a connection request forconnecting the physical device (301) to the selected virtual machine(302).

In yet another embodiment, at block 204, in response to a decision thatthe input user name and password are authenticated, the connectionrequest receiving section (332) automatically assigns a virtual machineavailable for the physical device (301). The connection requesttransmitting section (313) then sends to the physical device (301) anotification comprising information on the assigned virtual machine or,alternatively, the method proceeds directly to step 206. In response toreceipt of the notification from the virtual machine managing server(303), the graphical user interface displaying section (312) shows theassigned virtual machine on the display (106), for example in a GUI in anew window. The user of the physical device (301) may press a connectbutton icon for connecting to the virtual machine (302). In response toreceipt of an instruction generated by pressing the connect button iconby the user, the connection request transmitting section (313) sends tothe connection request receiving section (332) a connection request forconnecting the physical device (301) to the virtual machine (302)assigned by the virtual machine managing server (303).

Furthermore, in another embodiment, at block 204, in response to adecision that the input user name and password are authenticated, theconnection request receiving section (332) automatically assigns avirtual machine which is available for the physical device (301). Theconnection request receiving section (332) proceeds to block 205 withoutsending any notification to the physical device (301). The connectionrequest receiving section (332) generates a pseudo connection requestfor connecting the physical device (301) to the virtual machine (302)assigned by the virtual machine managing server (303).

At block 205, the connection request receiving section (332) receivesthe connection request from the connection request transmitting section(313) or the pseudo connection request. In response to receipt of theconnection request or the pseudo connection request, the connectionrequest receiving section (332) sends to the connection determiningsection (341) an inquiry to determine whether or not the virtual machine(302) and the physical device (301) satisfy both of the first and secondconnection permission conditions.

At block 206, in response to receipt of the inquiry, the connectiondetermining section (341) acquires, from the connection permissionconditions storage (381), the first connection permission condition,which is for the virtual machine (302), and the second connectionpermission condition, which is for the physical device (301).

At block 207, the connection determining section (341) sends to theconfiguration/context information managing section (352) a query forobtaining latest information on configuration/context of both thephysical device (301) and the virtual machine (302). Theconfiguration/context information managing section (352) may obtain fromthe endpoint information storage (391) the latest information onconfiguration/context. If there is no latest information onconfiguration/context, the configuration/context information managingsection (352) may request the configuration/context informationcollecting section (351) to obtain the latest information from theconfiguration/context information acquiring section (315) and theconfiguration/context information acquiring section (322). Theconfiguration/context information acquiring section (315) and theconfiguration/context information acquiring section (322) may obtain thelatest information from physical device (301) and the virtual machine(302), respectively. In response to receipt of the latest information,the configuration/context information acquiring section (315) and theconfiguration/context information acquiring section (322) respectivelymay send the latest information to the configuration/context informationcollecting section (351). The configuration/context informationcollecting section (351) may store the latest information in theendpoint configuration/context information storage (391) and send to theconfiguration/context information managing section (352) a notificationto the effect that the latest information has been obtained. Then, theconfiguration/context information managing section (352) may obtain fromthe endpoint information storage (391) the latest information onconfiguration/context.

At block 208, the connection determining section (341) decides whetheror not the physical device (301) satisfies the second connectionpermission condition. In one embodiment, the connection determiningsection (341) may decide whether or not the configuration/context of thephysical device (301) satisfies the second connection permissioncondition. In response to a determination that the second connectionpermission condition is satisfied, the connection determining section(341) sends to the connection request receiving section (332) anotification to the effect that the physical device (301) satisfies thesecond connection permission condition. The method then proceeds toblock 211.

However, in response to a determination that the second connectionpermission condition is not satisfied, the connection determiningsection (341) proceeds to block 209. At block 209, in response to adetermination that the second connection permission condition is notsatisfied, the connection determining section (341) prepares a list ofone or more possible or required configuration changes of the physicaldevice (301) which are required for satisfying the second connectionpermission condition. After preparing the list, the connectiondetermining section (341) sends the list to the configuration changeinstructing section (353). In response to receipt of the list from theconnection determining module (304), the configuration changeinstructing section (353) sends to the configuration change executingsection (314) an instruction for changing the configuration of thephysical device (301). The instruction may comprise the one or morepossible or required configuration changes of the physical device (301).

In one embodiment, in response to receipt of the instruction from theconfiguration change instructing section (353), the configuration changeexecuting section (314) displays a GUI for selecting one or morepossible or required configuration changes in the instruction on adisplay (106), for example, as a new window. In response to a selectionof one or more possible or required configuration changes by the user,the configuration change executing section (314) changes theconfiguration of the physical device (301), according to the selectedconfiguration change(s).

In another embodiment, in response to receipt of the instruction fromthe configuration change instructing section (353), the configurationchange executing section (314) may automatically change theconfiguration of the physical device (301), according to theinstruction, without showing the possible or required configurationchanges to the user.

In response to a configuration change of the physical device (301), theconfiguration change executing section (314) may send to theconfiguration change instructing section (353) a result of the change.The result of the change is either a success or a failure. A successfulresult means that the physical device (301) satisfies the secondconnection permission condition and a failure means that the physicaldevice (301) does not satisfy the second connection permissioncondition. In response to receipt of the result, the configurationchange instructing section (353) may send the result to the connectiondetermining section (341).

For example, at block 210, the connection determining section (341)determines whether the result is a success or not. In one embodiment, ifthe result is a success, the configuration change instructing section(353) sends to the configuration/context information managing section(352) a notification of details of the change in order to update theendpoint configuration/context information storage (391). In anotherembodiment, if the result is a success, the configuration/contextinformation collecting section (351) collects the changed configurationfrom the configuration/context information acquiring section (315),without the notification of details of the change from theconfiguration/context information managing section (352). If the resultis a success, the connection determining section (341) proceeds to block211. Meanwhile, if the result is not success, the connection determiningsection (341) proceeds to block 214.

At block 211, the connection determining section (341) determineswhether or not the virtual machine (302) satisfies the first connectionpermission condition. In one embodiment, the connection determiningsection (341) decides whether or not the configuration/context of thevirtual machine (302) satisfies the first connection permissioncondition. In response to a decision that the first connectionpermission condition is satisfied, the connection determining section(341) may send to the connection request receiving section (332) anotification to the effect that the virtual machine (302) satisfies thefirst connection permission condition. The method then proceeds to block215.

However, in response to a decision that the first connection permissioncondition is not satisfied, the connection determining section (341)proceeds to block 212. At block 212, in response to a determination thatthe first connection permission condition is not satisfied, theconnection determining section (341) prepares a list of one or morepossible or required configuration changes of the virtual machine (302)which are required for satisfying the first connection permissioncondition. After preparing the list, the connection determining section(341) sends the list to the configuration change instructing section(353). In response to receipt of the list from the connectiondetermining module (304), the configuration change instructing section(353) sends to the configuration change executing section (323) aninstruction for changing the configuration of the virtual machine (302).The instruction may comprise the one or more possible or requiredconfiguration changes of the virtual machine (302).

In response to receipt of the instruction from the configuration changeinstructing section (353), the configuration change executing section(323) may automatically change the configuration of the virtual machine(302), according to the instruction, in some embodiments.

In response to a configuration change of the virtual machine (302), theconfiguration change executing section (323) sends to the configurationchange instructing section (353) a result of the change. The result ofthe change is either a success or a failure. In response to receipt ofthe result, the configuration change instructing section (353) sends theresult to the connection determining section (341).

At block 213, the connection determining section (341) determineswhether the result is a success or not. In one embodiment, if the resultis a success, the configuration change instructing section (353) furthersends to the configuration/context information managing section (352) anotification of details of the change in order to update the endpointconfiguration/context information storage (391) via, for example, theconnection managing section (331). In another embodiment, if the resultis a success, the configuration/context information collecting section(351) collects the changed configuration from the configuration/contextinformation acquiring section (322), without the notification of detailsof the change from the configuration/context information managingsection (352). If the result is a success (i.e. the virtual machine(302) satisfies the first connection permission condition), the methodproceeds to block 215.

Meanwhile, if the result is not a success (i.e. the virtual machine(302) does not satisfy the first connection permission condition, or thechange of the configuration of the virtual machine, of the physicaldevice, or of a combination thereof fails or is impossible), the methodproceeds to block 214.

At block 214, the connection determining section (341) sends theconnection request receiving section (332) a notification to the effectthat at least one of the first connection permission condition and thesecond connection permission condition is not satisfied. The connectionrequest receiving section (332) further sends to the connection requesttransmitting section (313) a notification to the effect that theconnection request is rejected since at least one of the firstconnection permission condition and the second connection permissioncondition is not satisfied. After that, the graphical user interfacedisplaying section (312) then may show on the display (106) a GUI, forexample a new window, for showing to the user a result to the effectthat the connection request is rejected.

At block 215, in response to receipt of one of the followingnotifications at the connection request receiving section (332), theconnection request receiving section (332) opens a session to thevirtual machine (302). The notification can indicate that the physicaldevice (301) satisfies the second connection permission condition andthat the virtual machine (302) satisfies the first connection permissioncondition. Alternatively, the notification can indicate that thephysical device (301) satisfies the second connection permissioncondition and that the result of the configuration change of the virtualmachine (302) is a success. Alternatively, the notification can indicatethat the result of the configuration change of the physical device (301)is a success and that the virtual machine (302) satisfies the firstconnection permission condition. In another alternatively, thenotification can indicate that the result of the configuration change ofthe physical device (301) is a success and that the result of theconfiguration change of the virtual machine (302) is a success.

At block 216, the connection request receiving section (332) accepts theconnect request and then connects the physical device (301) to thevirtual machine (302). Optionally, the connection request receivingsection (332) may send the first connection permission condition and thesecond connection permission condition to the physical device (301) andthe virtual machine (302) via the configuration change instructingsection (353). At block 217, the process of FIG. 2A ends.

With reference now to FIG. 2B, the flowchart shows a process of handlingmaintenance of the connection between the physical device (301) and thevirtual machine (302). While the virtual machine and the physical deviceare being connected, the handling of the maintenance includesdynamically detecting the change of the configuration or a context ofthe virtual machine, of the physical device, or of a combinationthereof.

At block 221, the connection managing section (331) may start theembodiment of the process shown in FIG. 2B, for example, in response toestablishment of the connection of the physical device (301) to thevirtual machine (302). The connection managing section (331) may send aninstruction for monitoring a change of the configuration/context to theconfiguration/context information acquiring section (315) and theconfiguration/context information acquiring section (322). After theconnection of the physical device (301) to the virtual machine (302),the configuration/context information acquiring section (315) maycollect the configuration/context information of the physical device(301), for example, at fixed intervals. Similarly, after the connectionof the physical device (301) to the virtual machine (302), theconfiguration/context information acquiring section (322) may collectthe configuration/context information of the virtual machine (302), forexample, at fixed intervals.

At block 222, in response to receipt of the instruction from theconnection managing section (331), the configuration/context informationacquiring section (315) obtains the configuration/context information ofthe physical device (301) from the configuration/context informationacquiring section (315) and monitors a change of theconfiguration/context in the physical device (301). In one embodiment,when the configuration/context information acquiring section (315)detects the change of the configuration/context in the physical device(301), the configuration/context information acquiring section (315)sends to the connection managing section (331) a notification of thechange and, optionally, the details of the change.

Similarly, in response to receipt of the instruction from the connectionmanaging section (331), the configuration/context information acquiringsection (322) obtains the configuration/context information of thevirtual machine (302) and monitors a change of the configuration/contextin the virtual machine (302). In one embodiment, when theconfiguration/context information acquiring section (322) detects thechange of the configuration/context in the virtual machine (302), theconfiguration/context information acquiring section (322) sends to theconnection controlling section (311) a notification of the change and,optionally, the details of the change.

At block 223, the connection controlling section (311) may refer thechange of the configuration/context in the physical device (301) and thesecond connection permission conditions and then decide whether or notthe physical device (301) satisfies the second connection permissioncondition. In one embodiment, the connection controlling section (311)decides whether or not the configuration/context of the physical device(301) satisfies the second connection permission condition. In responseto a judgment that the second connection permission condition issatisfied, the connection controlling section (311) sends to theconnection managing section (331) a notification to the effect that thephysical device (301) satisfies the second connection permissioncondition. The method then proceeds to block 226.

Meanwhile, in response to a judgment that the second connectionpermission condition is not satisfied, the connection controllingsection (311) proceeds to block 224. At block 224, in response to ajudgment that the second connection permission condition is notsatisfied, the connection controlling section (311) prepares a list ofone or more possible or required configuration changes of the physicaldevice (301) which is required for satisfying the second connectionpermission condition. After preparing the list, the connectioncontrolling section (311) may send to the configuration change executingsection (314) an instruction for changing the configuration of thephysical device (301) together with the list. The instruction maycomprise the one or more possible or required configuration changes ofthe physical device (301).

In one embodiment, in response to receipt of the instruction from theconnection controlling section (311), the configuration change executingsection (314) may show the GUI for selecting one or more possible orrequired configuration changes in the instruction on a display (106),for example, as a new window. In response to a selection of one or morepossible or required configuration changes by the user, theconfiguration change executing section (314) may change theconfiguration of the physical device (301), according to the selectedconfiguration change(s).

In another embodiment, in response to receipt of the instruction fromthe connection controlling section (311), the configuration changeexecuting section (314) may automatically change the configuration ofthe physical device (301), according to the instruction, without showingthe possible configuration changes to the user.

In response to a configuration change of the physical device (301), theconfiguration change executing section (314) may send to the connectioncontrolling section (311) a result of the change. The result of thechange is either a success or a failure. In response to receipt of theresult, the configuration change executing section (323) sends theresult to the connection managing section (331).

At block 225, the connection controlling section (311) determineswhether the result is a success or not. In one embodiment, if the resultis a success, the connection controlling section (311) sends to theconnection managing section (331) a notification of details of thechange. In another embodiment, if the result is a success, theconnection controlling section (311) sends to the configuration/contextinformation managing section (352) a notification of details of thechange in order to update the endpoint configuration/context informationstorage (391).

If the result is not a success, the method proceeds to block 229,discussed below. If the result is a success, the method proceeds toblock 226. At block 226, the connection controlling section (321) mayrefer the change of the configuration/context in the virtual machine(302) and the first connection permission conditions and then decidewhether or not the virtual machine (302) satisfies the first connectionpermission condition. In one embodiment, the connection controllingsection (321) decides whether or not the configuration/context of thevirtual machine (302) satisfies the first connection permissioncondition. In response to a determination that the first connectionpermission condition is satisfied, the connection controlling section(321) may send to the connection managing section (331) a notificationto the effect that the virtual machine (302) satisfies the firstconnection permission condition. The method then proceeds to block 230,discussed below.

Meanwhile, in response to a judgment that the first connectionpermission condition is not satisfied, the method proceeds to block 227.At block 227, in response to a determination that the first connectionpermission condition is not satisfied, the connection controllingsection (321) may prepare a list of one or more possible or requiredconfiguration changes of the virtual machine (302) which is required forsatisfying the first connection permission condition. After preparingthe list, the connection controlling section (321) may send to theconfiguration change executing section (323) an instruction for changingthe configuration of the virtual machine (302) together with the list.The instruction may comprise the one or more possible or requiredconfiguration changes of the virtual machine (302).

In response to receipt of the instruction from the connectioncontrolling section (321), the configuration change executing section(323) may automatically change the configuration of the virtual machine(302), according to the instruction.

In response to a configuration change of the virtual machine (302), theconfiguration change executing section (323) may send to the connectioncontrolling section (321) a result of the change. The result of thechange is either a success or a failure. In response to receipt of theresult, the configuration change instructing section (353) may send theresult to the connection managing section (331). In one embodiment, ifthe result is a success, the connection controlling section (321)further sends to the configuration/context information managing section(352) a notification of details of the change in order to update theendpoint configuration/context information storage (391) via, forexample, the connection managing section (331).

At block 228, the connection controlling section (321) determineswhether the result is a success or not. In one embodiment, if the resultis a success, the connection controlling section (321) sends to theconnection managing section (331) a notification of details of thechange. In another embodiment, if the result is a success, theconnection controlling section (321) sends to the configuration/contextinformation managing section (352) a notification of details of thechange in order to update the endpoint configuration/context informationstorage (391). If the result is a success, the method proceeds to block230. If the result is not a success, the method proceeds to block 229.

At block 229, in response to determining that the result is not asuccess at block 225 or block 228, in one embodiment, the connectionmanaging section (331) disconnects the session to the virtual machine(302). Accordingly, in response to the disconnection of the session, thephysical device (301) cannot access the virtual machine (302). At block229, in response to determining that the result is not a success atblock 225 or block 228, in another embodiment, the connection managingsection (331) cancels the change of the configuration; invalidates thechange of the configuration; and/or returns the change of theconfiguration to a state prior to the changing.

At block 230, the connection managing section (331) determines whetheror not the session to the virtual machine is closed. In one embodiment,if the user voluntarily closes the session by logging off theconnection, the connection managing section (331) determines that thesession to the virtual machine is closed. If the session to the virtualmachine is not closed, the connection managing section (331) returns toblock 222. If the session to the virtual machine (302) is closed, themethod ends at block 231.

In another embodiment, if the session is already disconnected at block229, the connection managing section (331) determines that the sessionto the virtual machine is already closed and the method ends at block231. Meanwhile, if the session is not disconnected at block 229, theconnection managing section (331) returns to block 222 since the sessionis not disconnected and proceeds back to block 222 in order to againdecide whether or not the physical device (301) satisfies the secondconnection permission condition and whether or not the virtual machine(302) satisfies the first connection permission condition at block 226.

In an alternative embodiment, the connection determining section (341)may perform a process comprising blocks 223 to 228 and 230 as seen insteps 208 to 228 and 214 of FIG. 2A, instead of the connectioncontrolling section (311) and the connection controlling section (321).

In an alternative embodiment, at block 224, in response to a decisionthat the second connection permission condition is not satisfied, theconnection controlling section (311) prepares a list of one or morepossible or required configuration changes of the physical device (301)which are required for satisfying the second connection permissioncondition. After preparing the list, the connection controlling section(311) may send to the configuration change instructing section (353) aninstruction for changing the configuration of the physical device (301)together with the list. Further, the connection controlling section(311) allows the graphical user interface display section (312) to showthe GUI for selecting one or more possible or required configurationchanges in the instruction on a display (106), for example, as a newwindow. In response to a selection of one or more possible or requiredconfiguration changes by the user, the connection controlling section(311) may send the selected configuration changes to the configurationchange instructing section (353). In response to receipt of the selectedconfiguration changes, the configuration change instructing section(353) may send to the configuration change executing section (314) aninstruction for changing the configuration of the physical device (301).In response to receipt of the instruction, the configuration changeexecuting section (314) may change the configuration of the physicaldevice (301), according to the selected configuration change(s). Inanother embodiment, in response to receipt of the instruction from theconfiguration change instructing section (353), the connectioncontrolling section (311) allows the configuration change executingsection (314) to change the configuration of the physical device (301),according to the instruction, without showing the possible configurationchanges to the user. In response to a configuration change of thephysical device (301), the configuration change executing section (314)may send to the configuration change instructing section (353) a resultof the change. The result of the change is either a success or afailure. In response to receipt of the result, the configuration changeinstructing section (353) may send the result to the connectioncontrolling section (311).

In an alternative embodiment at block 227, in response to a judgmentthat the first connection permission condition is not satisfied, theconnection controlling section (321) prepares a list of one or morepossible or required configuration changes of the virtual machine (302)which are required for satisfying the first connection permissioncondition. After preparing the list, the connection controlling section(321) may send to the configuration change instructing section (353) aninstruction for changing the configuration of the virtual machine (302)together with the list. In response to receipt of the instruction, theconfiguration change instructing section (353) may send to theconfiguration change executing section (323) an instruction for changingthe configuration of the virtual machine (302). In response to receiptof the instruction, the configuration change executing section (323) maychange the configuration of the virtual machine (302). In anotherembodiment, in response to receipt of the instruction from theconfiguration change instructing section (353), the connectioncontrolling section (321) allows the configuration change executingsection (323) to change the configuration of the virtual machine (302),according to the instruction. In response to a configuration change ofthe virtual machine (302), the configuration change executing section(323) may send to the configuration change instructing section (353) aresult of the change. The result of the change is either a success or afailure. In response to receipt of the result, the configuration changeinstructing section (353) may send the result to the connectioncontrolling section (321).

With reference now to FIG. 4, illustrative GUIs which can be displayedon the display (106) associated with the physical device are depicted.In particular, FIG. 4 shows four windows (401 to 404) which can bedisplayed in a GUI.

The physical device displays the window (401), for example, afterstarting up of the application used for connecting the physical deviceto a virtual machine (see step 202 of FIG. 2A). The window (401) is usedfor inviting the user to input authentication information, such as auser name and a password associated with the user name.

If a user correctly inputs on the window (401) a user name and apassword, as indicated by arrow 411, the window (402) can be displayed.In particular, in response to a judgment that the input user name andpassword are authenticated (see, for example, block 203 in FIG. 2A), thephysical device displays the window (402) in which candidates foravailable virtual machines are shown (see, for example, block 204 ofFIG. 2A). The window (402) is used for selecting, by the user, a virtualmachine to which the user would like to connect. If a virtual machine isautomatically assigned to the physical device, the window (402) is notdisplayed and, optionally, the automatically assigned virtual machine isdisplayed.

The user can select on the window (402) one of the available virtualmachines, such as “Virtual machine001 on Windows 7”, for example. Inresponse to selection of the virtual machine, “Virtual machine001 onWindows 7”, it is decided whether or not the configuration/context ofthe physical device satisfies the second connection permission condition(see, for example, block 208 of FIG. 2A).

If it is determined that that the second connection permission conditionis not satisfied, as indicated by arrow 412 (see, for example, block 208of FIG. 2A), the physical device may display the window (403), in whichconfiguration changes of the physical device are shown (see, forexample, block 209 of FIG. 2A). There may be two types of configurationchanges: a required/essential condition and an optional condition, asseen in the window (403). The window (403) may be used for selecting, bythe user, one or more of the displayed configuration changes. If aconfiguration change is automatically performed, the window (403) maynot be displayed and the result of the configuration change(s) may bedisplayed.

A determination that the changes of the configuration of the physicaldevice are successfully performed (see, for example, block 210 of FIG.2A) means that the physical device satisfies the second connectionpermission condition. In response to a determination that the physicaldevice and the virtual machine satisfy the second connection permissioncondition and the first connection permission condition, respectively,the physical device is connected to the virtual machine, as represented,for example, by arrow 413 (see, for example, blocks 215 and 216 of FIG.2A).

In some embodiments, after the connection between the physical deviceand the virtual machine is established, a change of theconfiguration/context of the physical device may be detected, asrepresented by arrow 414 (see, for example, block 222 of FIG. 2B). Inresponse to the detection of the change, it is decided whether or notthe change in the configuration/context of the physical device satisfiesthe second connection permission condition (see, for example, block 223of FIG. 2B).

Some non-limiting examples of the change of the configuration/contextcan include, but are not limited to: patching of an operating system oran application; installation or deletion of an application; validationor invalidation of a device, such as an external device, an input/outputdevice, for example, a digital camera or a video camera; a wired orwireless channel connection, or a cellular phone connection; a securitysetting, such as auto lock-time of a screen, a method of unlockfunction, or a password digit number, an existence or nonexistence of anencrypted device, or an access control policy; desktop settings, such asa desktop size, the number of monitors, or color numbers; power savingsettings; or print settings, such as a switching of a default printer,or a compulsion of a secure printing.

In response to a determination that the second connection permissioncondition is not satisfied by the change in the configuration/context ofthe physical device (see, for example, block 223 of FIG. 2B), thephysical device displays the window 404, in which required configurationchanges of the physical device are shown (see, for example, block 224 ofFIG. 2B). The window 404 is used for selecting, by the user, one or moreconfiguration changes. If a configuration change is automaticallyperformed, the window 404 is not displayed and the result of theconfiguration change(s) may be displayed.

A determination that the changes of the configuration of the physicaldevice are successfully performed (see, for example, block 225 of FIG.2B) means that the physical device satisfies the second connectionpermission condition. In response to the determination that the physicaldevice and the virtual machine satisfy the second connection permissioncondition and the first connection permission condition, respectively,the connection between the physical device and the virtual machine ismaintained (see, for example, block 230 of FIG. 2B).

Meanwhile, a determination that the changes of the configuration of thephysical device are not successfully performed (see, for example, block225 of FIG. 2B) means that the physical device does not satisfy thesecond connection permission condition. In response to the determinationthat the physical device does not satisfy the second connectionpermission condition, the connection between the physical device and thevirtual machine is disconnected (see, for example, block 229 of FIG.2B).

Additionally, in some embodiments, it is also possible for a user not toselect a configuration change from the displayed configuration changes.In some such embodiments, not selecting a configuration change mayresult in a disconnection between the physical device and the virtualmachine.

A variety of example scenarios implementing embodiments described hereinare discussed in more detail below. It is to be understood that theseexamples are provided for purposes of explanation only and are not to betaken in a limiting sense.

In one example, a connection between a VDI terminal corresponding to aphysical device and a virtual machine is dynamically controlled. In thisexample, a definition of an environment includes: a high security areais provided in an office and a server which stores confidentialinformation is located in the office; a first printer is located in thesecurity area and a second printer is located outside of the securityarea in the office; and a dedicated application used for accessing theconfidential information, such as a file viewer, is required to accessthe confidential information.

Additionally, an access control policy is a type of configuration andassociated with the first and/or second connection permissionconditions. In this example, when a location of the VDI terminal is inthe high security area, the access control policy is set to thefollowing: an execution of the dedicated application is allowed; adefault printer is set to the first printer; and a print output only tothe first printer is allowed.

When the location of the VDI terminal is outside of the security area,the access control policy is set to the following: an execution of thededicated application is prohibited and, if the dedicated application isrunning, a window is shown in which a user of the VDI terminal canselect, from a menu, a forced termination of the dedicated applicationor a disconnection between the VDI terminal and the virtual machine(Note: if the disconnection is selected, the dedicated applicationcontinues running on the virtual machine in some embodiments.Accordingly, if the user moves back to the high security area andreconnects the virtual machine, the user can continue use of thededicated application); a default printer is set to the second printer;and a print output only to the second printer is allowed.

When the location of the VDI terminal is outside of the office, theaccess control policy is set to the following: an execution of thededicated application is prohibited; and all print output to the firstand second printer is prohibited.

Some illustrative techniques for determining a location of a VDIterminal include, but are not limited to, sectioning a range of IPaddresses assigned in each area and determining a location of the VDIterminal by the IP address; or recording a location and MAC address ofeach Wi-Fi access points in the office and determining a location of theVDI terminal from an intensity or signal strength from each Wi-Fi accesspoints.

In response to a decision that at least one of the first and secondconnection permission conditions is not satisfied, the physical devicechanges a configuration of the VDI terminal in order to connect the VDIterminal to the virtual machine, such that both of the first and secondconnection permission conditions are satisfied. In response to adecision that both of the first and second connection permissionconditions are satisfied, a connection between the VDI terminal and thevirtual machine is established.

While the virtual machine and the physical device are being connected,in response to detection that a change of the location occurs, namely, acontext change occurs, a connection between the VDI terminal and thevirtual machine is controlled by changing a configuration of thephysical device in order to maintain the connection or by disconnectingthe connection.

Another example of dynamically controlling a connection between aphysical device and a virtual machine includes an access control policyfor changing a configuration of the physical device in which a cameraand/or microphone function is prohibited during a meeting in order toprevent information leakage by an eavesdropping device and/orphotographing device. In response to a decision that at least one of thefirst and second connection permission conditions is not satisfied, thephysical device changes a configuration of the physical device in orderto connect the physical device to the virtual machine, such that both ofthe first and second connection permission conditions are satisfied. Forexample, the configuration change can include turning off or otherwisepreventing the camera and/or microphone function of the physical device.The detection that a user of the physical device is attending themeeting can be performed by judging a location of the user terminalcorresponding to the physical device, a schedule of the user, or acombination thereof. In response to a decision that both of the firstand second connection permission conditions are satisfied, a connectionbetween the physical device and the virtual machine is established.

Another example of dynamically controlling a connection between aphysical device and a virtual machine includes an access control policyfor changing a configuration of the physical device such thatutilization of data and/or a device is allowed during a predefinedspecific work in order to prevent information leakage. In response to adecision that at least one of the first and second connection permissionconditions is not satisfied, the physical device changes a configurationof the physical device or a virtual machine in order to connect thephysical device to the virtual machine, such that both of the first andsecond connection permission conditions are satisfied. The conditionsmay comprises predefined circumstances, such as worker ID; working time;a type of virtual machine to which a physical device is connected;and/or working area, such as a connection area. In response to adecision that both of the first and second connection permissionconditions are satisfied, a connection between the physical device andthe virtual machine is established. Further, a usage of the confidentialinformation, such as floor map or design drawings; or of a specifieddevice, such as a digital camera or digital video for recording a workis allowed.

Another example of dynamically controlling a connection between aphysical device and a virtual machine includes an access control policyfor changing a configuration of the physical device in response to astatus of simultaneous connections in order to prevent a peep of anoperation. For example, a same session on a virtual machine can be setto share with other users. In response to a decision that at least oneof the first and second connection permission conditions is notsatisfied, the physical device changes a setting of the application usedfor accessing confidential information such that both of the first andsecond connection permission conditions are satisfied. For example, ifanother user connects to the same session or a user of the physicaldevice is starting to connect to the same session, a start-up of theapplication used for accessing confidential information is prohibited.In response to a decision that both of the first and second connectionpermission conditions are satisfied, a connection between the physicaldevice and the virtual machine is established.

Another example of dynamically controlling a connection between aphysical device and a virtual machine includes an access control policyfor changing a configuration of the physical device which takes intoconsideration an application in a running state in order to preventinformation leakage. For example, an application used for recording ascreen shot can be running on a physical device. In response to adecision that at least one of the first and second connection permissionconditions is not satisfied due to, for example, the application usedfor recording a screen shot running, the physical device changes aconfiguration of the physical device by terminating an application usedfor recording a screen shot, such that both of the first and secondconnection permission conditions are satisfied. In response to adecision that both of the first and second connection permissionconditions are satisfied, a connection between the physical device andthe virtual machine is established.

Other examples can include dynamically setting access control policiesbased on a time zone from which the physical device is attempting toconnect to the virtual machine or enabling/disabling peripheralcomponents attached to a physical device, such as a USB interface.

The present invention may be a method, a computer system, and/or acomputer program product. The computer program product may include acomputer readable storage medium (or media) having computer readableprogram instructions thereon for causing a processor to carry outaspects of the present invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method for controlling aconnection between a virtual machine and a physical device, the methodcomprising: receiving, by a virtual machine managing server, aconnection request for connecting the physical device to the virtualmachine; in response to receiving the connection request, determining,by the virtual machine managing server, whether the virtual machinesatisfies a first connection permission condition and whether thephysical device satisfies a second connection permission condition,wherein the second connection permission condition comprises a settingof a configuration of the physical device and a setting of a context ofthe physical device comprising a location of the physical device and acurrent time; in response to a determination that the virtual machinedoes not satisfy the first connection permission condition, changing,based on instructions sent from an endpoint managing server, aconfiguration of the virtual machine to satisfy the first connectionpermission condition; in response to a determination that the physicaldevice does not satisfy the second connection permission condition,changing, based on instructions sent from the endpoint managing server,a configuration of the physical device to satisfy the second connectionpermission condition; and in response to a determination that thevirtual machine satisfies the first connection permission condition andthat the physical device satisfies the second connection permissioncondition, accepting, by the virtual machine managing server, thereceived connection request to connect the physical device to thevirtual machine.
 2. The computer-implemented method according to claim1, further comprising: in response to a determination that the change inthe configuration of the virtual machine fails or does not satisfy thefirst connection permission condition, rejecting the connection request;and in response to a determination that the change in the configurationof the physical device fails or does not satisfy the second connectionpermission condition, rejecting the connection request.
 3. Thecomputer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the methodfurther comprises: in response to accepting the received connectionrequest, establishing a connection between the virtual machine and thephysical device; in response to establishing the connection between thephysical device and the virtual machine, dynamically detecting a changein at least one of the configuration of the virtual machine, a contextof the virtual machine, the configuration of the physical device, or acontext of the physical device; and in response to a determination thatthe dynamically detected change does not satisfy at least one of thefirst connection permission condition or the second connectionpermission condition disconnecting the connection between the virtualmachine and the physical device.
 4. The computer-implemented methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising: in response to receipt of theconnection request, obtaining a latest configuration and a latestcontext of each of the virtual machine and the physical device.
 5. Thecomputer-implemented method according to claim 4, wherein determiningwhether the virtual machine satisfies the first connection permissioncondition and whether the physical device satisfies the secondconnection permission condition comprises: determining whether thelatest configuration of the virtual machine and the latest context ofthe virtual machine satisfy the first connection permission condition;and determining whether the latest configuration of the physical deviceand the latest context of the physical device satisfy the secondconnection permission condition.
 6. The computer-implemented methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the first connection permission conditioncomprises a setting of a configuration of the virtual machine and acontext of the virtual machine, wherein the setting of the configurationof the virtual machine is distinct from the setting of the context ofthe virtual machine.
 7. The computer-implemented method according toclaim 1, wherein a configuration of the virtual machine is selected fromthe group consisting of: a security setting and an access control policysetting; and wherein a context of the virtual machine is selected fromthe group consisting of: a connection time, and a progress of a processperformed by the virtual machine.
 8. A computer system for controlling aconnection between a virtual machine and a physical device, the computersystem comprising: a virtual machine managing server; an endpointmanaging server; and a storage for storing a first connection permissioncondition for the virtual machine and a second connection permissioncondition for the physical device; wherein the virtual machine managingserver is configured to determine whether the virtual machine satisfiesthe first connection permission condition and whether the physicaldevice satisfies the second connection permission condition in responseto receipt of a connection request for connecting the physical device tothe virtual machine, wherein the second connection permission conditioncomprises a setting of a configuration of the physical device and asetting of a context of the physical device comprising a location of thephysical device and a current time; wherein the endpoint managing serveris configured to send an instruction for changing a configuration of thevirtual machine in response to a determination that the virtual machinedoes not satisfy the first connection permission condition; wherein theendpoint managing server is configured to send an instruction forchanging a configuration of the physical device in response to adetermination that the physical device does not satisfy the secondconnection permission condition; and wherein the virtual machinemanaging server is configured to accept the connection request toconnect the physical device to the virtual machine in response to adetermination that the virtual machine satisfies the first connectionpermission condition and that the physical device satisfies the secondconnection permission condition.
 9. The computer system according toclaim 8, wherein the virtual machine managing server is configured toreject the connection request in response to a determination that thechange in the configuration of the virtual machine fails or does notsatisfy the first connection permission condition; and wherein thevirtual machine managing server is configured to reject the connectionrequest in response to a determination that the change in theconfiguration of the physical device fails or does not satisfy thesecond connection permission condition.
 10. The computer systemaccording to claim 8, wherein, in response to establishing a connectionbetween the virtual machine and the physical device, the endpointmanaging server is configured to dynamically detect a change in theconfiguration of the physical device, wherein the configuration of thephysical device comprises a camera function and a microphone function;and wherein, in response to a determination that the dynamicallydetected change does not satisfy the second connection permissioncondition, the endpoint managing server is further configured to: returnthe dynamically detected change to a state prior to changing such thatthe camera function and the microphone function are turned off.
 11. Thecomputer system according to claim 10, wherein the endpoint managingserver is configured to, in response to returning the dynamicallydetected change to a state prior to changing, monitor the configurationof the physical device and the context of the physical device foranother change.
 12. The computer system according to claim 8, whereinthe endpoint managing server is configured to obtain a latestconfiguration and a latest context of each of the virtual machine andthe physical device.
 13. The computer system according to claim 12,wherein the computer system further comprises a central processing unit(CPU) configured to decide whether the latest configuration of thevirtual machine and the latest context of the virtual machine satisfythe first connection permission condition; and wherein the CPU isfurther configured to decide whether the latest configuration of thephysical device and the latest context of the physical device satisfythe second connection permission condition.
 14. The computer systemaccording to claim 8, wherein the first connection permission conditioncomprises a setting of a configuration of the virtual machine and acontext of the virtual machine, wherein the setting of the configurationof the virtual machine is distinct from the setting of the context ofthe virtual machine.
 15. A computer program product for controlling aconnection between a virtual machine and a physical device, the computerprogram product comprising a computer readable storage medium havingprogram instructions embodied therewith, the program instructionsexecutable by a processor to cause the processor to: determine, by avirtual machine managing server, whether the virtual machine satisfies afirst connection permission condition and whether the physical devicesatisfies a second connection permission condition in response toreceiving a connection request for connecting the physical device to thevirtual machine, wherein the second connection permission conditioncomprises a setting of a configuration of the physical device and asetting of a context of the physical device comprising a location of thephysical device and a current time; change, based on instructions sentfrom an endpoint managing server, a configuration of the virtual machineto satisfy the first connection permission condition in response to adetermination that the virtual machine does not satisfy the firstconnection permission condition; change, based on instructions sent fromthe endpoint managing server, a configuration of the physical device tosatisfy the second connection permission condition in response to adetermination that the physical device does not satisfy the secondconnection permission condition; and accept, by the virtual machinemanaging server, the received connection request to connect the physicaldevice to the virtual machine in response to a determination that thevirtual machine satisfies the first connection permission condition andthat the physical device satisfies the second connection permissioncondition.
 16. The computer program product according to claim 15,wherein the program instructions are further configured to cause theprocessor to: reject the connection request in response to adetermination that the change in the configuration of the virtualmachine fails or does not satisfy the first connection permissioncondition; and reject the connection request in response to adetermination that the change in the configuration of the physicaldevice fails or does not satisfy the second connection permissioncondition.
 17. The computer program product according to claim 15,wherein the program instructions are further configured to cause theprocessor to: in response to establishing a connection between thephysical device and the virtual machine, dynamically detect a change ina context of the physical device, wherein the context of the physicaldevice comprises a state of an application used for recording a screenshot on the physical device; and in response to a determination that thedynamically detected change does not satisfy the second connectionpermission condition, cancel the dynamically detected change byterminating the application.
 18. The computer program product accordingto claim 15, wherein the program instructions are further configured tocause the processor to obtain a latest configuration and a latestcontext of each of the virtual machine and the physical device inresponse to receipt of the connection request.
 19. The computer programproduct according to claim 18, wherein the program instructions arefurther configured to cause the processor to: determine whether thelatest configuration of the virtual machine and the latest context ofthe virtual machine satisfy the first connection permission condition;and determine whether the latest configuration of the physical deviceand the latest context of the physical device satisfy the secondconnection permission condition.